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Tagline: Ever feel like you're being played?
Gregory Jacobs, who has served as an assistant director to some of the most respected motion picture directors in the entertainment industry, makes his directorial debut with "Criminal," a retelling of the Argentine film, "Nueve Reinas" ("Nine Queens").
Filled with off-beat characters, menacing situations, unexpected plot twists and an edgy, mordant humor, the film stars John C. Reilly ("Chicago"), Diego Luna ("Y Tu Mama Tambien"), Maggie Gyllenhaal ("Mona Lisa Smile") Peter Mullan ("My Name is Joe") and Jonathan Tucker ("The Deep End").
Set in Los Angeles over the course of 24 hours, "Criminal" follows a day in the life of two small-time bunco artists who stumble upon a foolproof, and extremely lucrative, scam. The story begins in a casino when Rodrigo (Diego Luna) is caught pulling a "change-for-a-hundred" swindle on two different cocktail waitresses. The escapade is witnessed by Richard Gaddis (John C. Reilly) an older, more experi-enced con artist who intervenes. Posing as a policeman he escorts Rodrigo away.
Richard explains that he is temporarily in need of a partner and invites the younger man to help him pull a few jobs. Rodrigo is suspicious, but desperate to help his father who is in serious trouble over gambling debts. He agrees to try out a partnership.
The two men are taking a break from a series of "nickel and dime" schemes when Richard is summoned to the luxury hotel where his sister Valerie (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who hates him for swindling her and their younger brother Michael (Jonathan Tucker) out of their inheritance, works as the concierge.
Valerie explains that an older Spanish man named Ochoa had been making a scene in the lobby trying to see VIP guest William Hannigan (Peter Mullan). While being escorted out, he had collapsed, but not before calling out Richard's name and begging Valerie to call him. Incensed that Richard and his low-life friends might endanger her job, she tells her brother to make sure both he and Ochoa never set foot in the hotel again.
As Richard and Rodrigo enter the room where the old time con man is waiting for the paramedics, they have no idea that a once in a lifetime opportunity is about to fall into their laps.
Ochoa explains the sting. An expert forger, he has made a copy of an extremely rare, one-of-a-kind 1878 Monroe Silver Certificate. Due to U.S. tax concerns Hannigan, an Irish multi-millionaire who collects antique currency, must leave the country the next day. If Richard can get to Hannigan, Ochoa knows he will not be able to resist adding the Certificate to his collection. Because lab tests would take a week, there is virtually no chance that he will discover the fraud. The payoff? At least $500,000.
As the deceptions and duplicity mount, Richard and Rodrigo must negotiate a succession of swindlers, thieves and grifters to pull off the biggest caper of their lives.
About the Film
Director Gregory Jacobs first collaborated with Steven Soderbergh in 1992 when he became his first assistant director on "King of the Hill." In an industry not noted for loyalty, theirs became a solid working relationship with Jacobs continuing to work with the director on nine additional films. For the past several years, Soderbergh had encouraged Jacobs to find a project to direct himself.
"Executive producer Jennifer Fox, George and Steven had seen "Nueve Reinas" ("Nine Queens") and thought it would be a perfect movie to remake," recalls Jacobs.
"They suggested that I watch it and I thought it was a wonderful movie with a great framework from which an American version could be made. Fabian Bielinsky, who directed it from his original screenplay did an incredible job."
Says Soderbergh, " It's a performance piece, which made it very interesting to me and George. At the same time, we had very consciously been looking for a project that Greg could direct but we wanted it to be the right project. We both sensed that you only get your first time once and it better be good and it better be something you can defend, so it was great when we saw ‘Nine Queens’ when we did.“
"To me, good directing is about making very specific and consistent choices about things. You have to stick to the idea of the movie that you have in your head and not concern yourself with outside forces. Having worked alongside Greg for so many years, I knew what his taste was and I knew that he had the ability to direct a film and be secure enough not to overwhelm it with too much unnecessary directing."
From the beginning, Jacobs and Soderbergh not only loved "Nine Queens" but felt that in transporting it to the United States they could find ways to add elements to the story instead of having to dilute the story. Says the producer "It had all the food groups as far as we were concerned so we were very aggressive about pursuing it."
Continues Jacobs, "I knew from the first moment how I wanted to structure it. I wanted it to be set in Los Angeles with a younger Latino man and the older character a Caucasian because I wanted to bring issues of race and class into the story. Steven agreed and once Jennifer secured the rights, Steven and I sat down and wrote out a first draft."
"Criminal" takes place during twenty-four hours, a conceit that Jacobs says for him was part of the fun of making the movie. "And not just because in a film that takes place in one day, you only need one costume per actor so we saved money on wardrobe," he laughs.
Throughout the "Criminal" screenplay there is a build up of dramatic tension offset by plenty of quirky neo-noir humor which was exactly the feeling that Jacobs wanted for the film.
"Even though there are subtle issues of race and class and segregation, all of which exist in Los Angeles, I didn't want this to be a 'heavy' film," he explains. "On the surface Richard is almost an unlikable character, but what interested me was showing how nobody is completely black or completely white. There are things about Richard that are unlikable but he is also charming and seductive.
"The same is true of Rodrigo. He's not necessarily all 'goody two-shoes'. I liked the idea of instilling the script with humor so there is clearly something funny as well as pathetic about the actions of these two guys."
Assembling The Team
In what was a fortuitous piece of luck for the first time director, Jacobs was able to secure his dream cast. From the very beginning, as he worked on the script, he had John C. Reilly and Diego Luna in mind for the pivotal roles of Richard and Rodrigo.
"I have always admired John’s work in everything I had seen him in. I felt that he had never portrayed anybody quite like Richard, who was slightly modeled on Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle in 'The French Connection.' It was great fun to watch John in this part and as luck would have it, he and Diego had a wonderful chemistry and played off each other very well. "I really don't know what I would have done if we hadn't been able to cast them. When you become set on a particular actor, and I really was, it would have been heartbreaking for me if I couldn't have had them both."
Says John C. Reilly, "Richard is really a shark, someone who basically makes money on other people's weaknesses. He feels that the normal rules of life don't apply to him. He sees life as a series of opportunities and he's the ultimate opportunist.”
"It's exciting to play someone who is so focused on what they want. You know exactly where he stands and if you stand between him and the money, you're going to be pushed out of the way. It's invigorating to play a character who doesn't have the normal worries of everyday life that you and I have - like moral issues or ethics."
Richard's rescue of Rodrigo from the casino is just another of those opportunities. In need of a new partner, he thinks that he might be able to teach the younger man a few tricks of the trade. This taking under his wing is not done out of the kindness of Richard's heart, but as he says to Rodrigo "You have a thing that money and practice can't buy and that is that you look like a nice guy."
Continues Reilly, "Con artists are always looking for someone who appears innocent, who looks trustworthy. People are more willing to give money to someone who looks like they already have money because then they don't feel like they're being taken. He knows that he can use Rodrigo's waif-like look to his advantage. It doesn't matter what somebody looks like - you can use them if the scam is tailored to fit the people you're scamming."
The fact that the entire story takes place in just one day also appealed to Reilly. "The film's pace begins in an almost meandering way," he explains. "Richard and Rodrigo are under no pressure when the movie begins. They're just looking for marks. But once they stumble onto this Holy Grail of grifts, they have to work quickly.
Hannigan is the perfect victim for a con artist because he really, really wants something they have. He's got money to burn, he has to leave the country the next day and Richard and Rodrigo know he'll do anything to get his hands on the Monroe Certificate.
"But they keep running into stumbling blocks. They're chasing this big pie but as they go along they encounter more and more people to whom they have to give away a piece of the action. By the end of the movie, they've given away almost 60%. But they're so deep into it, so committed to it that they're willing to give away whatever it's going to take to make this a successful enterprise."
Along with the con that Richard and Rodrigo are plotting, there is second plot element involving Richard's family. Says Reilly, "what sets this film apart from other con movies is that smack in the middle of it is the issue of Richard's dysfunctional family.
Once he starts dealing with his sister, the story rises to a different level. They're fighting over their mother's estate and he's been pulling strings to cheat her and their younger brother out of their share. The stakes in this story are much higher for Richard than simply the money from the scam.
"There's an emotional catharsis when the family starts dealing with one another. It's very satisfying for me to play as an actor. Is Richard just a hard-bitten tough guy? I love that in the movie you are constantly guessing people's motivations and intentions. And I think audiences will be able to relate to some of the issues between the siblings."
Diego Luna, whose performance in the Mexican film "Y Tu Mama Tambien" brought him to the attention of American audiences, says that the difference for him between "Criminal" and "Nueve Reinas" ("Nine Queens") is that it shows the class, cultural and ethnic differences in a city like Los Angeles.
"There are very clear lines between East L.A. and the West side of Los Angeles," he reflects. "It's the same city but the two cultures rarely mix. It's one of the things you will see in the movie: this very strange way of living where people from one area don't mingle with people from another part of town. Most Angelinos spend their whole day in their car. They don't walk around and meet and talk with people. Life is your car, your cell phone and your style of music. In East L.A. the streets are filled with people going to the market, stopping at the taco stand, greeting one another on the street, music blaring from the shops along the way.
"In creating my character, I had help from a friend from East L.A. who showed me around his barrio. Rodrigo has had more opportunities than many other Latinos have. He was born here, went to school here and speaks both English and Spanish.
His family is very close - which is something Latinos have brought with them from their own countries. They all live together in the same house, the parents, the children the children's spouses and the grandchildren. The entire family sits down for Sunday lunch. Rodrigo is not a gang member. He's not a cholo. He knows how to maneuver in both worlds. He wants to be a good guy, but the only way he knows how to make money is by cheating people.
"In the casino Richard saves my character and then Rodrigo finds out it's because Richard needs his help. In a way, Richard is the con artist Rodrigo wants to be. He knows his job, he doesn't hurt anyone, and he has a nice car. Richard's smart and seems to have a lot of things going on at the same time. He's talking to you and thinking of twenty different things at once. Rodrigo admires that about him and that's why he agrees to help him. That and the fact that he needs the money to help his father.
"The difference between Richard and Rodrigo is that Rodrigo hates making scenes, hates shouting and making people feel bad. He prefers smooth cons while Richard likes making big scenes and causing a commotion. The truth is, we both enjoy what we do - we just use different techniques.
"I think the hardest part of living like they do," Luna says, "is that you can't get too close to people. People have to trust you and like you, but you are always pretending. In the end, it’s a sad and depressing way of life. They can never tell the truth because they would be hated. They constantly have to hide who they really are."
Luna found that facet of his character to be interesting "because a con artist is the opposite of who you are as an actor. We show everything - who we are and who we can become. It's similar in a way, because these guys are acting and pretending all day long to be somebody they're not. Just like actors have to be somebody else for the audience. In this case, the audience is the man in the street, because every person they see is a potential victim. You're always pretending."
Jacobs knew the role of Richard's sister required an actress with a formidable presence. He also had to select someone who could look like she was Richard's sister and at the same time be a good match with Rodrigo. The coveted role of Valerie went to Maggie Gyllenhaal.
"Maggie is such an amazing actress and it was quite a coup to get her," he says. "She's not on screen as much as John and Diego, but when she is, she is so commanding and has such strength and beauty that it makes it very interesting."
"Richard and I can barely stand to be in the same room together," explains Gyllenhaal of her role in the film. "This animosity has obviously been going on for some time. She is more outraged now because she knows that Richard has been trying to steal their mother's estate from her and their younger brother Michael, who may be the one person Richard truly loves. Michael worships Richard and would be heart-broken if he knew the truth.
"When Richard needs my help to ensnare Hannigan it gives me the perfect opportunity to turn the tables on him and force him tell Michael the truth.
"I think the movie is called 'Criminal' because everyone involved has an ulterior motive, whether it's actually criminal or just morally corrupt. The details of what has been going on during this one day are less important than the intention behind them. With the exception of Michael, who I think really is an innocent, everyone involved is calculating, smart, manipulative and has an agenda. Everyone begins to find ways to get what they need."
Gyllenhaal says that when she read the script she felt like the story was a contemporary version of heist movies from earlier decades. "It's smart and stylish. As an actress, the aesthetic feels like some of those films. Greg could have made a choice to cast somebody as Valerie who was ice cold and sexy in a sort of predictable way. In some ways, this movie is referencing those films from the forties where there was the 'sexy' girl or the 'tough' girl, who has little to do. But he's allowed me to avoid playing that predictable version of the femme fatale. At the same time, I have to admit that in a way I'm attracted to those characters. It's a give and take with me.
"Everyone in this story has an agenda, something they're hoping to achieve. And the longer the day goes on, the more entangled everyone's intentions become. In certain scenes just before the final resolution it's as though the story is exhaling."
The role of William Hannigan is played by Scots actor Peter Mullan who is as well know for his directing capabilities as he is for his acting prowess. It was casting director Cathy Sandrich-Gelfond who brought up the possibility of Mullan as Hannigan.
"When I was writing this part," recalls Jacobs "I didn't want it to feel cliché. I didn't want Hannigan to be a bumbling rich man. He had to be someone with a huge physical presence that would be intimidating to Richard. And John C. Reilly is a very big guy.
"When Cathy suggested Peter I immediately thought it was a brilliant idea. I had loved him in 'My Name is Joe' and 'Session Nine' and he has always brought an interesting and commanding presence to his roles. He's so elegant and debonair yet in person he happens to be one of the most fun and interesting people you'd ever want to spend time with.
"John even joked that although he was probably eight inches taller than Peter and had around 75 pounds on him, it would be a pretty even fight because Peter was so intimidating."
Mullan, who was on a whirlwind publicity tour for the opening of his film "The Magdalene Sisters" admits to being thrilled when he was asked to join the "Criminal" cast.
"I liked this script as soon as I read it. I don't really care about the size of a part to be honest. I tend to decide on projects by the script and the director and if he's got something to say about who we are and where we are. What was so nice about this script is that everyone could be who he seemed - then again, maybe not. It's all very much a hall of mirrors. Just when you think something is one thing, it changes slightly. This all builds up to the climax, which is kind of a sting. And like all good films, it comes from left field and catches you out. It's only when you look back that it makes sense."
Mullan believes that the wonder of acting is being able to inhabit a role. "It's not that you naturalize it," he says. "It's a chance to see the world through someone else's eyes. Even though you are only seeing it for the length of a scene, to see the world through someone else's eyes means that you can occupy and shape that world. It's also worth remembering that film is not theater. No one else is going to play the part, only you. No matter who or what the character may be, you have to try to endow it with elements of your soul. The rest is up to the director."
For the part of Richard and Valerie's brother Michael, Jacobs selected Jonathan Tucker. Although the role is a small one, the portrayal of the younger brother had to be enacted with finesse, because Michael has no idea that the brother he worships is the person responsible for the misappropriation of his inheritance.
"I had seen Jonathan in 'The Deep End', and he was so incredible in that movie that he was the only person I met with. When I found out that he would be willing to take on the role I jumped at the chance to work with him," the director says.
"What I loved about this script," says the young actor, "is that the dynamics are always changing, and you never really know what's going on. You're always shifting your perspective. Just as you think you know what each character is about and what they want, the story spins around. But the way it's presented is rather linear and easy to understand.
"When my character realizes that Richard has been lying to him and that his brother isn't the person he thought he was, a part of him dies inside. You can only be disappointed in somebody if you really care about them in the first place."
The real fun for Jacobs was that in the story, nobody is purely the 'good guy' or the 'bad guy.' "I hope by the end of the film," he says "that the audience will be thinking 'well wait - if Michael didn't know about his brother's deception, what Valerie did was sort of cruel. Then at the end, Rodrigo gives her the ring he stole from the grandma. Does Valerie know that he's putting one over on her? That's what made it interesting for me. Everybody has shades of black and shades of white.
"Richard is a bastard - kind of; Rodrigo is a sweetheart, maybe; Valerie is the beat-upon sister - possibly. It was those shades of good and evil that everybody has in them that appealed to me. There is no one character in the movie who is purely a 'good guy' or 'bad guy. Even the peripheral characters, Ochoa, Mrs. Ochoa, their son-in-law - you realize at the end that they've all been role-playing.
"Basically, this is a two-hander and I love the fact that in some perverse way, it's a buddy movie. It was fun to shade everybody slightly off. In the end, you have to wonder about the flim flam - just who is stinging whom?”
 Production notes provided by Warner Independent. |
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Criminal